“Look at the customer first because they’re going to tell you what they need. They’re going to decide the experience they want. Most media companies have insights divisions but are they going far enough? Are they really gathering all the information they have about the customer?” — David Ingham, media & entertainment industry consultant.

Patient retention and protocol adherence are critical KPIs when it comes to ensuring the success of clinical trials. Losing even one patient from a trial is very costly, and a high dropout rate can put the entire trial at risk. This is why patient engagement is such a hot topic in clinical trials today. There are a number of clinical trial software applications that are being used to improve patient engagement. While it is possible to build engaging technology, the real engagement for the patient comes from the staff at the investigator’s site.

Blockchain technology, the platform underpinning cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, has been touted as the “magic bullet” to solve the healthcare industry’s data interoperability and security issues and, possibly, usher in a new era of personalized medicine and scientific research. Overshadowed by the hype are the complexity and challenges involved in funding, implementing, and administrating a healthcare blockchain ecosystem. We spoke with Kirill Timofeev, DataArt’s Senior Project Manager and Lead Blockchain Expert, who provided valuable insights into the issues faced by the healthcare industry in adopting blockchain technology. Despite the uncertainty, the healthcare industry will continue to move forward with blockchain adoption.

“Everyone in Germany is talking about Industrie 4.0, and in the past two years or so this topic has also become a major issue in the U.S., where it is subsumed under general headings such as smart manufacturing or advanced manufacturing.” – Siegfried Russwurm, a member of the Siemens Managing Board and chairman of the governing body of the Industrie 4.0 platform.

“People outside should be seen as part of your system rather than customers or complainers. They are people who work with you. You have to be transparent and more open. If you have the culture in place and the process is in place, then you can succeed.” – Paul Sloane, author of “A Guide to Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing”

While many people believe that Millennials shun the idea of owning a car, statistics illustrate otherwise. In fact, according to a recent study by global research and consulting firm TransUnion, consumers aged 21 through 34 are taking out new auto loans at a 21 percent higher rate than Gen X borrowers did when they were that age. This statistic is sure to please the auto industry, as it attempts to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of personal transportation.

“Radio is more like a Super Bowl commercial: phenomenal reach, but very shallow engagement. A podcast is the opposite of that: you might have only 1,000 listeners, but they will likely be really devoted and engaged. It’s analogous to music fans who buy every album and VIP tickets to every show for their favorite bands.” – Matt Carter, co-founder of music podcast network Jabberjaw Media.

“Someone used the fish tank to get into the network, and once they were in the fish tank, they scanned and found other vulnerabilities and moved laterally to other places in the network.” – Justin Fier, director for cyber intelligence and analysis at security firm Darktrace.